Container closure



F. COATES CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed July 18, 1923 Patented Dec.

reacts nti e.

FREDERICK COATES, CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CONTAINER CLOSURE.

Application filed July 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Coarns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Container Closures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to closures or caps for receptacles and like containers, such as jars, milk bottles, and other like devices.

One important object of the invention is to improve the general construction of devices of this character.

A second important object of the invention is to provide a closure having special means whereby it may be gripped between the thumb and finger of a persons hand, this gripping efiecting a partial contraction of the closure in at least one direction so that it may be readily removed and also enabling the closure to be as readily replaced.

A third important object of the invention is to provide an improved closure of this description which may be cheaply and readily manufactured from the ordinary paper products commonly used for jar tops, but which will operate in an improved and highly efficient manner.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the closure.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2.2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the closure partly bowed up or contracted, and applied to a container.

In the construction of a closure in accordance with this invention, there is preferably employed a closure body 10, which may be of cardboard, millboard, pasteboard, or other like product.

The closure body 10 is made of suitable thickness, and of a proper size to fit withinthe groove common to the mouths of such. containers as cartons, fruit jars, milk bottles and other like devices. The material of which this closure body is made is preferably such as to stand a reasonable amount of 1923. Serial No. 652,282.

bending without cracking, and it may be impregnated, if desired, with a suitable waterproofing. Extending across the closure at evenly spaced distances from a diametrical line are the parallel openings 11 which may be produced by the same die as is used to produce the closure body 10, the cutting of the opening and the closure body thus being a single operation. These openings are sulficiently wide to permit the strip 12 betweenthe openings to be grasped between the thumb and finger of the users hand without difficulty, but the openings are no wider than is necessary for this purpose. Moreover, the strip or bridge piece 12 is of sufl icient width, owing to the spacing of the openings to have the proper strength in the particular case required. The openings 11 approach the periphery of the closure body 10 quite closely at each end so that the bridge piece can be grasped, close to the periphery of the closure body when it is desired to remove the closure.

Of course it will be obvious that this closure body if used alone, would allow the escape of the contents of the container through the openings 11, and in order to prevent this, there is placed on the underside of the closure body 10, a sheet of thin tough material 13, which may be of paper or the like. This material is held to the closure body 10 by a suitable adhesive. In some instances, glue may be employed, while in. other instances, as in the handling of food stuffs, the closure body 10 and liner sheet 13 may be coated with parafiin so that the parafiin holds them together. Under these circumstances, it will be seen that the passage of material through the slots 11 is prevented.

In using'the device, let it be supposed that it was inserted in a carton jar or can top. To remove it is simply necessary to grasp the bridge piece 12 near the one end between the thumb and finger of the hand and pinch the bridge piece laterally. This effects a contraction and puckering up of the periphery of the closure body 10 and sheet 13 adjacent this end of the bridge piece which thus contracts the closure body and sheet so that it may be readily drawn out of the jar. It will be obvious that it may be replaced by a reverse operation.

There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes and modifications maybe made in the form and construction of the invention Without in any Way departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, therefore, desired to 'confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is Wished to include all such as properly come Within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new, is:

1. A closure for containers consisting of a closure body having a pair of parallel openings extending there across to provide a' diametrical strip united at each end to the body adjacent the periphery whereby tension on the strip tends to contract the body periphery at opposite points, said openings being of a Width to permit grasping of the portion of the closure body between them by the thumb and finger of a user, and a liner secured to the closure body and covering said openings. r

2. A closure for containers consisting of a closure body of bendable material provided adjacent one portion of its periphery With thumb and finger grips to permit grasping of this portion and crimping the same by bringing said grips closer together, said grips being formed-by openings extending through said closure body in spaced relation to provide a'diametri'cal strip-limited at each end to the body adjacent the periphery whereby tension on the strip tends to contract the body periphery at opposite points, and liner means closing saidopenings and secured beneath said closure body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

'FREDERICK ooATEs. 

